Top 5 Foods for Patients with New Braces

Let’s face it, the first few days of getting new braces is never easy. Your teeth and mouth will be sore and tender and it will take a few days to get used to having metal brackets on your teeth. You’ll take for granted all those times when you could eat whatever you liked without pain or discomfort, and the choices for food are now limited for the next week or so. But, don’t forget that you’ve just begun your journey to achieving a healthy and confident smile and that’s definitely something to be happy about!

To help ease the burden of getting new braces, today we’ll be offering you our top 5 foods to eat during the adjustment phase.

Fruits

While you’re obviously not going to bite into a crispy Granny Smith apple throughout your entire treatment, fruits are a fantastic choice for those with new braces. Soft fruits like nectarines, kiwi fruit, raspberries, bananas, and grapefruit that are cut into small pieces offers patients a tasty and healthy option any time of day. Even relatively hard fruits like pears can be cut into small pieces and chewed with the back teeth after a couple of weeks when the initial pain has subsided. You can even add some yoghurt to the mix and create a fruit salad. Yummy!

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a tricky one because they’re not hard like carrots but they can cause a bracket to come loose if you’re not careful. Anything that you have to tear off with your teeth such as pizza crust or bagels should be avoided, but keep in mind that there’s plenty of braces-friendly options as well. Pasta, lasagna, mashed potatoes, soft bread, oatmeal, and couscous are all tasty foods that we love to eat which are also soft enough for people with a new set of braces. I remember eating mashed potatoes for three days before my mouth could handle something more substantial!

Meat & Dairy

You’ll also need to be careful with this category considering that foods like steak, bacon, and chicken can be tough and cause a lot of pain, however there’s plenty of soft options as well. Foods like salmon, sliced lunch meat, tuna, eggs, cheese, and yoghurt are all packed with goodness and soft enough for a sensitive mouth. Cheese lovers will relish an excuse to eat as much brie, cream cheese, and mozzarella as they want! You’ll just need to be careful with harder cheeses like cheddar and forego the accompanying crackers.

Vegetables

You may be thinking that most vegetables are relatively tough to eat but there’s plenty of ways to eat vegetables safely during the adjustment phase with braces. If you’re feeling a bit worn down then give yourself a vitamin boost with a fruit and vegetable smoothie. You can also use a vegetable peeler to make super thin ribbons of cucumber and carrots, then drizzle with a little olive oil to make a quick salad. Of course, softer vegetables can be steamed and eaten as normal such as peas and pumpkin.

Ice Cream

Did someone say ice cream? For many people, the best part about getting braces is having an excuse to eat heaps of ice cream! Be careful though, try to avoid ice cream with sticky caramel or chocolate chips as these can cause problems with your braces. Stick to the plain flavours such as chocolate or vanilla, and sorbet is fantastic for those with a sensitive mouth. Not only is it delicious, but the cold will also help soothe any pain or discomfort. Always brush your teeth afterwards though as ice cream has a high sugar content.

It’s important to keep in mind that the worst culprit for broken braces isn’t actually food, it’s ice, so be careful if you have a habit of eating ice after you finish a beverage!

If you need any further information relating to foods which are suitable for those with a new set of braces, get in touch with the friendly team at Clear Smiles Orthodontics by phoning 07 5593 3733.